Earth2Lincoln Radio on KZUM 89.3 FM

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The 1/18/2011 earth2lincoln radio program will discuss the implications of sustainability relative to world population growth. W. Cecil Steward, CEO & Founder of the Joslyn Center Institute for Sustainable Communities, will be our guest for program.

Cecil Steward is professor and dean emeritus of the College of Architecture at UNL, where he served as dean for 27 years. In 1996 he founded the Joslyn Castle Institute for Sustainable Communities. He currently serves as the President and CEO of the JCI. Cecil is also a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a former national president of the American Institute of Architects.

Cecil will outline his international work along with the myriad of local sustainability initiatives that he has seeded in Lincoln and other Nebraska communities. Local work includes:

Cecil has also played a pivotal role in organizing a statewide dialogue on sustainability and Nebraska's environment called Conversation Conferences via his work with the Nebraska Sustainability Leadership Workshop Series. More info on the discussion can be found at, www.nslw.org.

earth 2 lincoln encourages listeners to check these sites out for more info on how to get involved with sustainability actions here in Lincoln and Nebraska.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

This is a first! I'm actually posting information about a show BEFORE the show!

My guest is Donna Woudenberg, Drought Management Specialist at UNL's School of Natural Resources. She is the first person at UNL to receive a degree in Human Dimensions with a Natural Resources emphasis. We chatted about what Human Dimensions is, how it combines social science with physical science and what is classes are emphsized in the Human Dimensions major. To find out more about the program, visit http://snr.unl.edu/gradstudent/special/spec-humandimensions.asp

The Earth2Lincoln program's January theme is population growth and resulting overpopulation. Donna and I talked about how understanding cultures, countries, religions, and many other aspects of humans will help policy makers' strategies in the future. National Geographic Magazine has an interesting article about population growth in their January issue. You can access it at this website: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/featurehub

If you would like to get involved with in sustainability and the environment here in Nebraska, there is an upcoming conference that may be of interest to you. It is called the "Conversations Conference on Nebraska Environment and Sustainability", and it is being held on Feb. 11, 2011, for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's East Campus Union. For more information, visit http://www.nslw.org/conversations_registration.html by January 14.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Hello!Sorry I haven't been on for a while. It's amazing how much time can pass before you know it! My October guest was Meghan Sittler, Program Coordinator for the Lower Platte River Corridor Alliance. This is a group of private, state, federal, and local entities that work together on issues concerning the lower Platte River. Meghan talked about projects that the LPRCA has been working on lately, what they've done in the past, and what is planned for the future. One of the large projects the LPRCA continues to work on is to coordinate with agencies to remove old bridge pilings that can cause problems to recreational users of the river, such as airboaters, kayakers, and canoers.

My November guest was Deb Hauswald, Education Coordinator at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center near Denton, NE. Deb and I chatted about all the great educational programs that SCP has to offer both school groups and the public. One really exciting program that has been going on for a few years now is the Prairie Immersion hikes. Fourth grade students from Lincoln Public Schools enjoy a full day on the prairie discovering what the prairie is and what might live there.

Another fun opportunity that folks can enjoy while at SCP are self-guided discovery hikes. Backpacks with suggested activities and discoveries are available for a variety of interests including: ornithology, entomology, agronomy, and others.

SCP is open year-round, and have many events throughout the year. Visit their website for dates and times: springcreekprairie.audubon.org

My next show on December 20 will be during KZUM Cares, and Nancy Furman, Director of Pioneers Park Nature Center will be my guest.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

My guest on Monday, Sept. 20, was Mark Brohman, Executive Director of the Nebraska Environmental Trust. The Trust was established in 1992 to "conserve, enhance and restore the natural environments of Nebraska". Through Nebraska Lottery, Powerball, and scratch-off ticket receipts, nearly $15 million dollars per year is available for the Trust to distribute using a competitive grant application system. Nearly $160 million dollars have been available to organizations through this granting process since 1992.

Every county in Nebraska has benefitted from this program. In 2010, the Trust received about 110 applications, totaling around $54 million. They hope to have between $16 and $17 million to distribute this year. In February 2011, recommendations for funding are sent to the Trust Board from experts that have reviewed the applications. There is a public comment period, and then final results are announced in April 2011.

The Nebraska Environmental Trust is unique to Nebraska. Only Colorado has a program, called Great Outdoors Colorado or GO-CO, that is somewhat similar to our Trust.

The 2010 grant application due date has passed (Sept. 7), but there are still smaller grants available, called PIE grants (Public Information and Education). These grants are distributed through the Nebraska Academy of Sciences. They are also called "mini-grants" because they have a limit of $3,000 per grant request. The next deadline for PIE grants is Friday, October 8, 2010, so there is still time to apply.